The basic movements and concepts of the European long sword are strategically covered in this comprehensive guide. Detailed photo sequences and illustrations that clearly depict stance and movements pair with engaging prose that perspicuously explicates the origins of long sword tactics. This complete look into the basics of long sword fighting is designed for sword fighting fans as well as long time practitioners and features instruction on balance, maintaining guard, proper grip, cuts, wards, stance, tempo, footwork, parries, and basic offense and defense.
(ISBN-10: 0897501780)

Mounted encounters by armored knights locked in desperate hand-to- hand combat, stabbing and wrestling in tavern brawls, deceits and brutalities in street affrays, balletic homicide on the dueling field-these were the martial arts of Renaissance Europe. In this extensively illustrated book Sydney Anglo, a leading historian of the Renaissance and its symbolism, provides the first complete study of the martial arts from the late fifteenth to the late seventeenth century. He explains the significance of martial arts in Renaissance education and everyday life and offers a full account of the social implications of one-to-one combat training.Like the martial arts of Eastern societies, ritualized combat in the West was linked to contemporary social and scientific concerns, Anglo shows. During the Renaissance, physical exercise was regarded as central to the education of knights and gentlemen. Soldiers wielded a variety of weapons on the battlefield, and it was normal for civilians to carry swords and know how to use them. In schools across the continent, professional masters-of-arms taught the skills necessary to survive in a society where violence was endemic and life cheap. Anglo draws on a wealth of evidence-from detailed treatises and sketches by jobbing artists to magnificent images by Drer and Cranach and descriptions of real combat, weapons and armor-to reconstruct and illustrate the arts taught by these ancient masters-at-arms.
(ISBN: 0-30008-352-1)

This is the most complete treatise ever on the art of European edged weapons combat. In this volume, the author discusses the development of sword fighting techniques throughout Europe's history, includes first hand accounts of famous duels, compares and contracts medieval sword-fighting with modern sport fencing, and provides a comprehensive overview of the "way" of the sword in Europe.
Amberger is a regular contributor to American Fencing, the magazine of the United States Fencing Association, and to the British fencing magazine The Sword, as well as the German periodical Einst und Jetzt. Amberger is considered one of the foremost experts on historical edged-weapons combat in the United States.
(ISBN: 1-89251-504-0)

This major new book presents over 300 pages of information on the tools and martial skills of medieval warriors. It offers a comprehensive look at medieval blades as fighting weapons and distills the essential fighting elements from such masters as Liechtenauer, Talhoffer, Dei Liberi, Vadi, and others.

Based on years of hands-on study and practice by HACA Director and scholar-practitioner John Clements, this sweeping work finally approaches Medieval swordsmanship as a legitimate martial art form and not as fantasy play or theatrical performance. This is a detailed examination and practical guide to one of the most fascinating areas of our Western martial heritage: the Medieval sword!
(ISBN: 1-58160-004-6)

This book is unique in that it shows the development of modern fencing using the unique understanding of a man who is a fencing master and an academic. Using only orginal sources a complete picture of the development of fencing results. The only possible weakness is the neglect of post 1945 hungarian, polish, german and russian works. Although it can be argued that form the point of view of fencing technique these are a combination of the french and italian fencing schools, in practice they are different. As inclusion of these works would have either made the work too large, or reduced the details of the material covered, exclusion of these works is not really a problem. In itself this book should be required reading for all fencing masters and for all serieus practioners of the sport.
(ISBN: 1-88452-816-3)

A fascinating visual book, structured in two parts, the first part Brown investigates the history and development of the English fighting system and looks at some of the attitudes, beliefs and social factors that influenced its development. A unique perspective supported with tales of skill and courage bring to life the people who played a part in the development of English martial arts.
The second part of the book, details various English fighting techniques which have been drawn from historical sources and manuscripts. All of the techniques presented in the book are illustrated with photographs and accompanied by instructions. Techniques covered in this book include bare-fist fighting, broadsword, quarterstaff, bill, sword and buckler, sword and dagger. Terry Brown, who has been a martial artist for twenty-eight years, has recently re-formed the Company of Maisters of Defence, a medieval English martial arts organization.
(ISBN: 1-89828-118-1)

This is one of the earlier works by John Clements on historical European swordsmanship. Both a general reference and an instructional guide for advanced and beginning sword enthusiats, students of military history and martial artists.

Combined with exhaustive research with years of hands-on practice in fencing, contact-weapon sparring and training, John's intents was to return historical swordsmanship to its rightful place as a true martial art.
(ISBN: 0-87364-919-2)

This book is about fighting, specifically with a sword in which the end result is the death of your opponent. The book is not another book about business strategy. Kaufman's dry sense of humour illustrates this point with his comment "There is a significant difference between not getting a deal signed and having your head cut off." An excellent book on developing the necessary psyche in order to win engagements.
(ISBN: 0-80483-020-7)